Tire rotation amd wear?

[Aernan]

So I have the problem of my alternator bolt vibrating off. I have not balanced my drive shafts yet.

I noticed something recently. My front tires are more warn then the rear ones. When I put a load in the back I get some driveline whine.

Will rotating the worn tires to the rear help make them wear more evenly?

I heard mention that tires can be turned cut to machine off flat spots. What is that called and how do I find that service?



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[porkysplace]

It's called tire shaving . Search the big tire dealers in your area.

 

[aleigh]

There are a lot of opinions about this but mine is simply that the alternator bolt / mount situation has some flaws. Measure and see if your bolt is the right size for the mount. Mine wasn't. See if your alternator holes are off spec or rounded out. If they are, you can have a shop press bushings in. It is a simple problem with simple fixes. Others will tell you these trucks were designed by children and are ready to explode at any moment because of the dawn of the computer age. Or something.

You don't say if your tires started out all the same and wore un-evenly, or if the truck came this way. Yes, rotating them will prolong the life, like any vehicle.

The LMTV is a 30/70 torque split and most people's trucks are empty so you get a bit of spin, particularly on gravel, on the rears. On the other hand, tire pressure plays a big factor in wear, so make sure your you maintain your tires in good condition and keep them at highway pressure. Slow leaks seem to be the norm and the sidewalls are so stiff that on an empty truck it's not as obvious as you'd think when you lose 20 or more psi.

As for getting them shaved, the prices are competitive on the surplus market - I'd just get new ones. Check your date codes and see how old your tires are. I had a spat of blow-outs on some really old good years - they were just dangerous. One blew just sitting in the yard.

 

[Aernan]

There are a lot of opinions about this but mine is simply that the alternator bolt / mount situation has some flaws. Measure and see if your bolt is the right size for the mount. Mine wasn't. See if your alternator holes are off spec or rounded out. If they are, you can have a shop press bushings in. It is a simple problem with simple fixes. Others will tell you these trucks were designed by children and are ready to explode at any moment because of the dawn of the computer age. Or something.

I put the spec bolt back in but I did notice there is some play. The hole is not rounded out so I might try a larger fastener. I'm assuming the root cause is still there because the previous owner also replaced the water pump (it's unpainted and lightly rusty now) which is another symptom of driveline vibration.

Another problem is my cab air springs don't work so the bounce could be a cause too. Many things to fix on the truck. I'm getting to them one at a time.

If I start calling around what kind of shops can do the bushing insertion and what do I call that when I ask? Do I need a machinist or is this a general mechanic thing?

 

[Aernan]

You don't say if your tires started out all the same and wore un-evenly, or if the truck came this way. Yes, rotating them will prolong the life, like any vehicle.

The truck came with these tires. They were pre-worn. I was wondering if it's common for the front to wear faster because I have no load in the rear so all the weight is in the front.

 

[simp5782]

Shipping on 4 tires to a business address in your area is just under the $400 range.

We have 2013/14 Date coded Goodyear MVTs listed in the classifieds.

We also have alot of Michelin XML tires that are new that I will make you a heck of a deal on as we have an overflow of them at the moment. But shipping remains the same cost.

They do chop out in the front. Mostly cause of the weight. I have noticed alot of outside edges eaten up as well. I assume that is from loose steering components.

 

[Aernan]

The LMTV is a 30/70 torque split and most people's trucks are empty so you get a bit of spin, particularly on gravel, on the rears. On the other hand, tire pressure plays a big factor in wear, so make sure your you maintain your tires in good condition and keep them at highway pressure. Slow leaks seem to be the norm and the sidewalls are so stiff that on an empty truck it's not as obvious as you'd think when you lose 20 or more psi.
As for getting them shaved, the prices are competitive on the surplus market - I'd just get new ones. Check your date codes and see how old your tires are. I had a spat of blow-outs on some really old good years - they were just dangerous. One blew just sitting in the yard.

I had a slow leak from the rear because of a kneeling valve that I just replaced. I have been airing up every time I drive so I'm certain the CTIS is setting everything to the correct pressure before I go anywhere.

So you are saying that shaving the tires is expensive or that used tires can be had fairly cheap?

 

[aleigh]

On my truck, a SAE bolt instead of the factory 12mm fit perfect. Had to be tapped in with light force. My presumption here is it's actually SAE holes on the bracket and they wound up using M12 which left free play. I plan to confirm the next time I take the alt off but if you have read my other thread you know I have a lot of problems right now, ha ha.

Places that rebuild alternators will be able to do the bushings. I wouldn't go out of the way to mention military truck. Just take the alternator off and take it into the shop and tell them you want bushings for X size. You'll have to decide at that time if you want to live the M12 life or go SAE. My advice is do whatever fits your bracket most snugly.

Have you pinned the cab? You're supposed to if they are deflated. The manual says nonspecific damage will occur otherwise. The procedure is in the TM. What's wrong with your cab air?

 

[aleigh]

oh - and I was saying the tires are cheap. There is a glut if XMLs in the world right now too so if you like that tire, now is the time to switch. I recently bought 10 XML tires and I am not looking back.

A tip on the freight - have them ship hold for pickup to a terminal. Then just take your truck down to the terminal and they'll forklift load. This saves a fortune. This goes for anything big, really.

 

[Aernan]

Have you pinned the cab? You're supposed to if they are deflated. The manual says nonspecific damage will occur otherwise. The procedure is in the TM. What's wrong with your cab air?

It was not pinned when I got it. The passenger side air spring area dumps a bunch of air. I just need to order/install a fresh spring there and then go see if the drivers side is working.

 

[Gunny 0369]

So I have the problem of my alternator bolt vibrating off. I have not balanced my drive shafts yet.I noticed something recently. My front tires are more warn then the rear ones. When I put a load in the back I get some driveline whine. Will rotating the worn tires to the rear help make them wear more evenly?I heard mention that tires can be turned cut to machine off flat spots. What is that called and how do I find that service?Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Aernan, On the Tires,
I thought I would give you a great POC for tire work, Jeff in Texas, he can be reached at 903 870 8835.. he has tons of useful tips, and ALOT of tires. He has outfitted me with complete sets...
Mounted XZLs on painted rims with new seals ready to go. Or, he can piece you parts you need as well, and can advise in the mounting/ dismounting of the tires if you get in a bind.
Great guy.

 

[coachgeo]

It's called tire shaving . Search the big tire dealers in your area.

another term is used is "Tire Truing". as Porksplace suggest...... try big rig tire shops.

 

[Aernan]

Seems the big rig shops are not open on saturday/sunday so this will have to wait till monday.

 

[Aernan]

Ok I found the one shop that does shaving of tires in the bay area and they can only do something as large as a 32" tire. I guess at this point I need to order a matching set of tires or find a clever way to shave them down myself.

 

[aleigh]

What problem are you trying to solve exactly? All you said earlier was "flat spots"

 

[Aernan]

My front and rear tires are different wear level and I noticed that when I add a load to the truck I get some whine in the driveline. I figured I should make sure all the wheels are the same size so there is no binding. Does that sound like a good idea?

 

[Smike740]

I don't think a difference in wear level between the front and rear tires will cause your symptom. Generally the front tires will always wear faster than the rear due to the higher constant load, higher percentage of braking at the front and turning. Have you checked the wear on the u joints and driveshaft since loading the rear will definitely cause the driveshaft angle to change, however usually wear for these parts results in vibration.

 

[Aernan]

I have not checked the hinge out of the driveshafts yet.

The tires on the rear are less worn. Would it be good to rotate those to the front of the vehicle regardless of possible driveline troubles?

 

[aleigh]

We already recommended that you rotate the tires for prolonged wear. But I am with smilke, I don't see the size difference being a contributing factor to drive-line whine when loaded, or really, any much of a problem at all. Some AWD systems in some vehicles are temperamental about tire diameter but that's never something I've heard about the MD3070 setup in these trucks. I've also had tires of all different diameters on my truck (relative to wear) and even different kinds of tires temporarily to no ill effect.